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Do or Don't: Pedometer bracelet

Last weekend, I went to a baby shower brunch with a bunch of really cool women. One woman looked cute in a plaid dress, cool glasses and a black bracelet. She explained that her husband had given her a pedometer bracelet for Christmas—UP by Jawbone—which tracks your movement all day, so you can see if you're getting enough activity. You can also track your light vs. deep sleep. ("I slept terribly last night, apparently," she laughed.) If you want to take it a step further, you can set it for more specific things: to alert you after you've been sitting still for too long, say, or to wake you up after a power nap once you've been asleep for the optimal time (26.5 minutes). And you get all your results on an iPhone app. Cool, right?

Would you ever wear a pedometer bracelet? Alex and I are intrigued. I'm guessing it would motivate you to walk or take the stairs more often, and it would be fun to watch the numbers add up. What do you think?

140 comments:

Very cool idea! I would totally try this out. I've been looking for a pedometer that I can wear while walking around campus, but I didn't want some big dorky looking one - this one definitely fits the bill!

i have the Up by Jawbone as well! i loved it for tracking how many steps i took each day but i don't think the sleep tracking worked that well - i've had a few nights where i know i was up for longer than was tracked, based on checking the time, etc.

it's definitely interesting to use and helps you to understand what habits (i fall asleep quicker when i take a quick, warm shower before bed, for example) lead to better sleep, but i don't know that it is something i will use long term. in fact i may return it!

I think they are really intriguing, however, with that said, I know that there are days when I do not get up and move around enough, (Welcome to the world of blogging!) and I'm afraid it would make me feel worse about sitting still for long periods of time than I already do. I suppose that makes me question the need for them...don't we already know when we aren't moving enough? Do we really need some fancy device to tell us to get off our asses?

I think they are really intriguing, however, with that said, I know that there are days when I do not get up and move around enough, (Welcome to the world of blogging!) and I'm afraid it would make me feel worse about sitting still for long periods of time than I already do. I suppose that makes me question the need for them...don't we already know when we aren't moving enough? Do we really need some fancy device to tell us to get off our asses?www.mondaysnugget.com

Where I work, I can't wear anything on my arms, so I have a fitbit one which attaches to my waistband (or my bra if I'm wearing a dress). I love it! Tracking my steps and stairs climbed has really motivated me to getting moving more often and the sleep tracker has been really illuminating about my sleep patterns.

I got my husband a FitBit One as an early Christmas present. He loves it- he is a metrics-geek. Plus- he's managed to actually lose a few pounds over the holidays, just by walking more- getting up and taking the stairs to talk to people at work. In fact, if he hasn't reached his stairs goal by the end of the day he will run up and down the stairs at home. The badges and trophies you can earn also get him moving. If you love video games and like to be competitive with yourself, this is a great tool.

My boyfriend bought my the NikePlus Fuelband. Its all black and unless you click the button, you would never know it was a digital pedometer! It always says the time, calculates calories, and my tracks "fuel" goal for the day. I love that I can sync it right to my phone / ipad and see my results at any time. Im totally addicted. You should get one!

in case you're looking to check out some other options on the market - my boyfriend and i both own FitBits which are a great alternative to the pedometer and NIKE fit bracelets as they can be concealed and have a lot of capabilities in terms of tracking, setting, and reporting on fitness and health goals.

happy walking :) it's a fun personal challenge to start looking at how much daily movement we engage with. now when i see a set of stairs, i'm all "STAIRS! yes!" rather than "ugh, where is the elevator". also, i highly recommended doing it together; it's been nice to have a partner and motivate each other.

My boyfriend ordered me this a couple years ago- but they stopped shipping because of technical issues users were having. I'm happy to hear the kinks are worked out- hopefully- maybe I will tell him to reorder :)

my sister has worn her pedometer for 4 years! I wore one for a while and was shocked by how sedentary my life is. I suggest getting one w/ Alex or w/ a friend and having a friendly competition over who gets the most steps in a month.

I use the Fitbit Ultra, which is basically invisible. I love that it draws my attention to my activity level, particularly on super busy work days with me hunched in front of a computer -- if I haven't moved much by lunch I'll intentionally walk around to be sure I'll meet the goal at the end of the day.

I got a fitbit for Christmas too and I love it because I can clip it on to my bra. I'm picky about my accessories and I don't like the idea of having to wear the same blue bracelet everyday. With my fitbit nobody can see it!

Personally, I think it would be a really nice thing to have! I already log my miles manually on my phone, and sometimes that can be a nuisance. A little bracelet that does the work for me would be more ideal.

I JUST got one for Christmas and I am in love. I would probably never wear the Nike band since its bulky and only tracks steps. This band is daintier and more of a lifestyle band! The best part about it is that you can join your friends and help each other out along the way!

I think I would like being able to track my daily activity level, but my sleeping? Not so much. I suspect it would be telling me how poorly I slept all the time and that would just make me feel more tired!!

I'm totally intrigued. I remember reading about this before it was released and thought it was such a cool idea. Plus it's nice that it doesn't actually *look* like a pedometer. I have a clipon guy I use for running, but I like the idea of getting feedback on your sleep cycles too. Wonder how accurate that is. Still, definitely very curious about this thing.

I got one for Christmas as well, and my husband and I are on the same "team" via the app. I walk everywhere so it's been fun to see how many steps I actually take in a day (over 6,000!) and being able to see how the other is doing is great for friendly competition.

That is cool looking bracelet and very cool it can update to your phone. I wore a pedometer once for a health study and I really felt motivated to walk 10000 steps or more per day. Of course that was when I was in the city, at school, and not at my current desk job.

The UP is good, but the Nike Fuel Band is much better, also tracks your calories as well as tells the time and converts your movement into FUEL points that you can compare and track with people socially. Its a much more well rounded device.

I had to wear one of those pedometers for freshman health course in college and I did like knowing how many steps I took and how much more I needed to stay active but I hated how ugly and bulky it was. This bracelet seems like a good alternative.

Joanna - you hit on one of my favorite topics! I wear a Fitbit and love it. My husband and I both have them and we compare numbers at the end of the day. It really makes you think twice about taking the stairs, parking further away, etc. I blogged about the fitbit, if you are interested (link below). I am a big fan of these for improving your health! http://www.maniger.blogspot.com/2012/07/one-more-step-get-little-bit-fit.html

my husband bought this one, and there was something wrong with it and got a refund. im not sure if they fixed that moving forward. the idea is awesome and he loved it for a while. it has a neat sleep feature too. im just not sure its 100% worth it. the fit bit i hear is nice too.

I instantly feel in love with that BUT then I checked reviews and changed my mind. Its always worth to have a look at reviews and competition (nike has similar, and cheaper too!). Although, I love the idea I wouldnt buy it! :):)

Oh, did our world become co hectic that we can not track down anymore how much movement we had this day? I think that in this cyber world what we really need is yoga and meditation and not yet another lovely cyber thing :)

My boyfriend wears one of these and loves it! It also means that his morning alarm is quieter, which I appreciate since he gets up before me. Anything that helps people get better sleep, or learn to develop habits that beget better sleep is good to me - I would wear one, if it weren't for the fact that the end metal bits are sharp. My boyfriend has grazed me several times on the sofa with his arm and I was scratched - ouch!

I have the Fit Bit tracker but it's a clip on, not a bracelet. Regardless, it's fantastic. Motivates me to get off my butt whenever possible plus since my mom and husband both have them, we've turned it into a competition to see who can take the most steps per day.

My dad got me a fitbit zip which is a funny present to get, but it is sort of fun to watch the steps add up even just walking the dog. There's a happy face when you've been active, and a frown with a tongue out when you haven't (odd but effective) and a calorie counter which is mysterious to me. Somehow, even when it's been sitting on the bedside table, it says I've burned 600 calories. There's a tie in to an app also which is easy. It came as a pair so I'm going to try to get my husband to try it out too, you can compete with them somehow!Just noticed someone above also uses one, but maybe a more advanced one - I don't think this can track sleeping.

I don't know about Kristin, but I work doing sign design and manufacturing. I don't wear any jewelery on my arms, because when I'm running big time heavy machinery I don't want to risk anything getting caught! That rule also goes for long sleeves (unless they're pushed back), scarves, floppy bows...I love my job, but looking nice is a challenge!

I had to use something like this in a gym class once to track my activity! It was really interesting to see the amount of steps I was taking on different days of the week (ex; work v.s home). I would love something like this!

oh totally i have switched to the fitbit which does the same things, activity, food, water, sleep and setting goals etc. it also syncs with my phone. i love it especially being in the city and seeing how much i do every day.

(I swear I don't work for Fitbit!) but the Fitbit works with an android phone, fyi. :) I do research on physical activity and disease and I want absolutely everyone to get more steps per day, and use whatever motivation necessary to get there!

I had a FitBit for a while that pretty much did the same thing except for the bracelet part. It would have been great except it wasnt water proof and I kept killing them. It was a great motivator since I was tracking my activity and eating in an attempt to lose weight. Not to brag (although maybe a little bit :) ) but I lost 50lbs last year by simply eating less and moving more.

I just got one yesterday! It is slightly dorky- my husband called it "nerdy". I kinda think you have to be a little bit nerdy anyway to want something like this, right? But so far so good... I've ridden my horse with it on (didn't get in my way- very durable), taken a couple of showers (very water resistant), and found the sleep tracking to be accurate. I love the reminders to get up and move. I need the subtle prodding.

While I can TOTALLY appreciate the value of this information, I've reached a point where I feel myself really pushing back against the penetration of technology into almost every aspect of life. I want less. So, no, I don't want one of these. But I also don't have a smart phone - I'll borrow my husband's if we're out together, but I don't own one myself (and if he gave his up, I wouldn't get one to compensate for the loss). Of course, all of these tools are useful ... I just want less of them in my life.

If I go for a long walk, I don't want to turn any part of that experience into a number (of steps walked, of calories burned, of miles covered). I don't want a machine to tell me if I slept well. I want to feel it myself.

That looks ok, not too sporty. Have you looked into the fitbit? It is a great tool and tracks a few additional things like sleeping rhythms and it has a cute flower that grows as your physical activity increases throughout the day!

Up by Jawbone had a bunch of major hardware issues last year, so I'd proceed with caution there. Look up "Up by Jawbone issues"-- there were a bunch of write-ups. If you're going to do the personal tracker thing, I'd consider Fitbit and Nike+. Fitbit also has the Zip, which is cheaper than most options. I've had a Fitbit Ultra for the past year and love it, but then again I'm a data geek and work in tech (not for anyone discussed on this post, though :)). Even if you go for their lower-end tracker, Fitbit's site is awesome for seeing data.

I have a FitBit and love it! And unlike the Up, it can be subtly hidden on your front bra strap, or in a shirt pocket. Though it doesn't have an app, it does have a wonderful website, which can also be easily accessed on a phone. The info-graphics for all your movement, your sleep cycles, and your burned calories are quite beautifully designed too!

I have the FitBit which I really like. I usually keep it in my pocket so that I can check out how many steps I've taken. It is motivating and I like that it can stay hidden instead of a bracelet that everyone can see.

I have been wearing the Jawbone UP for over a year now. I LOVE it! It wakes me when I'm in light sleep. Tracks my sleep - which has helped me tremendously - and tells me when I don't move enough. I highly recommend it!

I was an early adopter of the UP, bought the day it came out on the market. Jawbone did amazing things when the realized the battery was a problem. They gave me my money back for my original purchase and signed me up to be a beta tester for their redesign. I have had zero problems with the new version. If I ever do, I know Jawbone will take good care of me!

My boyfriend's office has a challenge - 10k steps a day - and everyone was given a pedometer (nothing fancy like this one) and I loved it! It was just a fun way to challenge yourself or after a killer day of errands to feel justified in your exhaustion... the other fun bonus was the competition. Friendly of course, but at the end of the day it was fun to compare steps :) Anything you can use to help you get moving is a good thing in my books.

I would totally do this!I went from being an active grade 6 teacher to working a desk job, so I find little things to motivate me to move each day. like I make an excuse to walk up the six flights of stairs in my building to the very top floor, just to get a bit of exercise.

I wore a standard pedometer for three months while doing a walking challenge at work. I really enjoyed knowing how much exercise I was getting during the day so I could easily decide how much more I should do in the evening. It really motivated me to reach my target # of steps each day. The most annoying part was trying to wear the clip-on pedometer when I was wearing a dress or skirt. I'd definitely be interested in this bracelet.

I think I would! Especially if you're concerned about how much activity you're getting daily. It's inconspicuous enough for me to not be worried that it looks like I'm wearing an arm band. I am looking forward to the FitBit bracelet, though!

I bought the UP for my husband for Christmas. I was a little hesitant about buying it at first because it's kinda pricey, but I thought the "you've been idle for too long" feature would come in handy for him ;-) My husband complains about not getting enough sleep, so I thought being able to see how many deep hours of sleep he got, how long it took him to fall asleep, and how many times he woke up in the middle of the night would be helpful. He's been using the UP for about two weeks and loves it. He's also got enough data know to start seeing trends in his activity and sleep patterns. It's pretty cool, and a really great conversation piece, too! I am thinking about getting one for myself. It's amazing what technology can do today.

the company i work for has a health program that rewards physical activity based on a pedometer. it has been pretty interesting! it's CRAZY how little movement you get in a day sometimes! to boost our steps, my co-workers and i leave our little cubicles and walk 2x a day around the warehouse at our office ... every little bit helps! :)

My husband and I both have the 'one' and it has become a competition in our house! For women, you can hook it into the center of your bra. You literally never feel it and you can't see it unless you're in something super low cut or tight. For men, it's pretty small and can just drop in their pocket.

A few of my co-workers have recently bought one as well and you can 'friend' each other online and compete against each other.

I've been weighing the options between this and the fitbit for a few days now, I definitely like the idea of the bracelet more but the fitbit has some very loyal (and convincing!) followers. I'd be interested in what you end up deciding and a review if you end up buying one!

Really great info?.I feel more folks should be required to read this. Would you ever wear a pedometer bracelet.I'm guessing it would motivate you to walk or take the stairs more often and it would be fun to watch the numbers add up. What do you think.Man it gives us free valuable information.This is a nice content !! See you again.________________

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